SPRING 2014
UNITING THE PEOPLESOFT PIECES WITH
by Vikram Nilakantan ‘14
A
Vikram
Nilakantan
s we near completion of
the university’s transition
to PeopleSoft, it’s time for
us to make the best of all our
new system has to offer. We
now have the core pillars
of PeopleSoft Financials,
Human Resources, and
Campus Solutions in place
as the backbone for Puget
Sound’s internal processes,
and various enhancements
are being made to address
some of our community’s
specific needs (see page 3).
This has all happened in a very
short timeframe, and it’s important
to remember that just getting the
PeopleSoft framework up and running—with
functionality that touches every user and
extends into every department on campus—is an
impressive feat.
The next step toward making PeopleSoft our own is to enhance the user
interface, creating an online environment with easier navigation and a
streamlined design in accordance with the university’s recent rebranding.
Technology Services is working closely with students, faculty, and staff
to create an experience that improves the usability of PeopleSoft while
supporting day-to-day productivity. Called myPugetSound, this application
will centralize PeopleSoft for every user on campus, requiring just a single
signon to access the entire system.
Work is underway with the initial rollout of myPugetSound scheduled to
take place by the start of fall semester. Once fully implemented, it will
provide easy access to elements of Campus Solutions, Human Resources,
Financials, and other online resources. Additionally, myPugetSound will
include a feature called “My Page” in which users can pick and choose from
tasks to create a personalized work environment.
For example, students will be able to set “My
Page” to include both class schedule and
timesheet, two items commonly used by
students who also work on campus.
There is no doubt that, as happens
in any major transition, the initial
phase of implementation over
the past two years has not been
easy and has, in fact, tested our
collective patience from time
to time. By harnessing the best
features of our new framework to
create an improved user experience,
myPugetSound offers hope for a brighter
future for PeopleSoft at Puget Sound. n
myPugetSound
will centralize
PeopleSoft for every
user on campus,
requiring just a single
signon to access the
entire system.
Vikram Nilakantan is former Director of Technology Services for ASUPS and
a member of the Portal Advisory Group working with Technology Services
(TS) to guide the implementation of myPugetSound. After graduation,
Vikram will join the TS staff as Web and Database Developer and will play a
key role in the ongoing development of myPugetSound.
MOVING OFFICES?
CALL TECHNOLOGY SERVICES!
If you’re moving to a new workspace on campus, we need to know so we
can assist with the proper relocation of all your office technology.
We’ll make sure your computer is correctly connected and set up, and
we’ll relocate and reconfigure your office phone. Because university
phones use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), you can’t just move
them yourself. VoIP phones are connected and powered through the
network to report voicemail and 911 calls with your name, building, and
room number. In case of emergency, that information must be accurate.
Plus, we want your phone to work right!
So, if you’re planning to move offices, please contact the Technology
Service Desk at 253.879.8585 or servicedesk@pugetsound.edu. And,
while you’re at it, please let Human Resources know your new location
so they can update your information in university records!
If you’re moving offices, Network Manager
Dave Hamwey needs to know.
DESIGNED AND PRINTED AT UNIVERSITY OF PUGET SOUND PRINT & COPY SERVICES
SPRING 2014 • PAGE 1
UNIVERSITY OF PUGET SOUND
OPEN SOURCE IN THE ACADEMY
By Cindy Riche, Deputy CIO for Client Support and Educational Technology Services
O
pen source textbooks and software and journals! Oh my! Like Dorothy
in Oz, new arrivals to campuses around the world are stepping into a
Technicolor landscape filled with new forms of information creation
and sharing. Such changes are being wrought not by a Kansas tornado but
rather by the substantial influence of the open source movement.
The open source movement has developed in part as a reaction to
increasingly restrictive publishing and pricing structures that govern legal
distribution of intellectual property in the United States and around the
world. Authors of textbooks and journal articles and developers of software
are responding by making their works available at no cost and with varying
restrictions on attribution and modification.
A range of distribution venues has arisen for open source electronic access
to books, articles, and software (see box, Curious About Open Source?).
In some cases, consortiums have formed to offer collections; in others,
individual authors have created their own websites to distribute their works.
Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science Rob Beezer was an early
and passionate proponent of open source textbooks and has come to be a
widely recognized advocate for all things open source.
Beezer has presented numerous sessions to a wide range of academic
audiences around the U.S. and in Canada, South Korea, and South
Africa on topics such as “Leading from the Back: Open Source Software
Development,” “A How-To on Producing and Promoting an Open
Source Textbook for Mathematics,” and “Open Textbooks: An Author’s
Perspective.”
Beezer has written and published his own open source textbook, A First
Course in Linear Algebra, which he makes available at no cost on the
book’s website. He is also currently working on two additional open
source books, as well as a third book which will be a “non-profit”
venture with traditional copyright and publisher but then will
go to “open access” after 12 months.
In addition to his presentations and writings, Professor Beezer has
contributed to and championed the use of Sage, an open source
mathematics software program he utilizes in his courses. With Sang-Gu
Lee, he co-authored Calculus, a book which features Sage and is geared to
the South Korean academic market.
“I’ve long been an advocate of the open source textbook model,” Beezer
states. “It makes so much more sense than the traditional textbook
sourcing system. With open source, authors can make updates at any time
and can invite other authors to add or modify the material.”
Beezer has, in fact, invited his readers to “donate” changes to the text,
which may then be incorporated into his version. As he puts it, this ongoing
editing model “makes the textbook more responsive to student feedback
or developments in the field and means it can be improved for
every new class.”
Beezer also points to an added benefit for students during
these times of rising educational costs, noting that
“Students like saving money with the no-cost option of
using the textbook online.”
Beezer has utilized the ongoing editing possibilities
inherent in open source textbooks to great effect in
the classroom.
“I offer my students rewards if they can
find a mathematically significant typo
in the text and several of them take
up the challenge, comb through the
book, and excitedly offer edits!” he
reports with a laugh. “This level of
engagement with the textbook is
rare with printed, static books.” n
Professor Rob Beezer
CURIOUS
ABOUT
OPEN
SOURCE?
Professor Beezer’s book is available at
linear.ups.edu/html/fcla.html.
SAGE mathematics software can be
downloaded from sagemath.org.
SPRING 2014 • PAGE 2
Visit Open Source Alternative at
opensourcealternative.org and
look under the “Alternatives” tab
for open source options for many
software applications.
The Open Source Initiative provides
information about the open
source community at opensource.org.
UNIVERSITY OF PUGET SOUND
SFS GOES LIVE WITH
NEW PAYMENT PORTAL
S
tudent Financial Services (SFS) was in
the thick of it when the university went
live with the Campus Solutions pillar of
PeopleSoft in Spring 2013. Not only did they
have to prepare for summer billing, they had
to navigate some major operational changes
triggered by the transition from Cascade
to PeopleSoft.
“What the SFS team has accomplished in the
past year has been awesome,” states Vice
President for Enrollment Jenny Rickard. “Not
only did they successfully conduct a multifaceted major software implementation,
they also continued to provide their hallmark
exceptional service to our students, families,
and Puget Sound colleagues at the same time.
And they’ve done so with professionalism,
skill, grace, and humor.”
The move to PeopleSoft gave SFS the
opportunity to provide a better experience for
Puget Sound students and parents by taking
advantage of significant advancements made
in recent years in third party student financial
systems. The team began looking at vendors
who specialize in comprehensive billing and
payment portals for student accounts and, after
a thorough analysis, opted to go with TouchNet
Information Systems, Inc.
“TouchNet has a very strong reputation with
PeopleSoft schools,” notes Maggie Mittuch,
Associate Vice President for Student Financial
Services. “What really appealed to me in their
initial presentation was that payment plans can
continue to belong to the school. We’ve always
maintained our payment plans in house. Many
institutions have those outsourced and students
THIS IS WHAT GO-LIVE LOOKS LIKE
(top row, left to right) Julie Stein, Mattie Watts; (middle) Amy VanZandt, Shirley Johnson, Jeanne Peterson,
Kris Budd, Susie O’Donnell, Ava Brock; (front) Cree Bradford, Bryan Gould, Maggie Mittuch.
pay vendors who collect fees on them. When
somebody else is managing that, you lose an
important aspect of serving students, of being
able to answer questions and know what’s
going on.”
SFS began work last fall on the transition
to TouchNet, with initial go-live this May in
preparation for student billing in the summer.
“Students will have a link in our PeopleSoft
system that takes them to TouchNet for bill
and payment,” says SFS Functional Analyst Ava
Brock. “There they’ll be able to see what they
owe, estimated financial aid, payment plan
options, and account history. They can authorize
bill payers, which will generate an email from
TouchNet to the bill payer with a password and
link to the payment portal.”
Brock notes parents can choose to authorize
automatic payments on a recurring schedule
if they don’t want to return to TouchNet every
month.
“We’ll also have the ability to process refunds
via ACH,” reports Mittuch. “Since we’ll no longer
have to write checks, we’ll be able to push
refunds out in just 1 to 2 days which is much
faster than anything we could do before.”
“We anticipate a huge time savings, not only for
us, but for students in their ability to receive
funding quickly and do what they need to do all
in one place,” Brock states. n
For more information, contact Student
Financial Services at 253.879.3214 or
sfs@pugetsound.edu.
MAXIMIZE PUGET SOUND KEEPS MOVING FORWARD
by Travis Nation, Deputy CIO for Enterprise Services
A
s detailed by Vikram Nilakantan on page 1, the rollout this fall of
myPugetSound, our new portal, promises to greatly enhance the
usability of our PeopleSoft system. Beyond that, though, Technology
Services is working with functional offices across campus to identify and
pursue various options for improving and adding needed functions.
In recent months, we’ve been able to implement such tools as printerfriendly class rosters, the ability to see all sections when searching for
classes, and the new My Advisees Hub where advisors can see advisee
information (major, minor, GPA, etc.) in one place. Other improvements on
the way include:
•
A page where chairs and administrative assistants can see all students
in the department
•
Additional features in My Advisees Hub
•
Student alerts and person information
•
Preferred name in Student Center, Faculty Center, and class search
•
Improved waitlist swap process for registration
•
A transcript based on the model previously available in Cascade
•
Ability for students to change their major/minor and select advisor
•
A page for Career and Employment Services staff to quickly assist
students seeking work-study employment
•
Improved Human Resources recruiting functionality for
search committees
The Office of Admission continues to make great strides toward moving
the university’s admission process into PeopleSoft. Go-live is scheduled for
November, just in time for the class of 2019’s early decision process. n
See the Project Management Office section of the Technology Services
website at pugetsound.edu/pmo for details on these and other efforts.
SPRING 2014 • PAGE 3
UNIVERSITY OF PUGET SOUND
NEW LIBRARY SYSTEM LAUNCHES IN JUNE
by Wade Guidry, Library Applications Administrator
J
une marks the launch of a
new, improved library services
platform for Collins Memorial
Library. The launch is part of a
broader effort among 37 academic
libraries in the Pacific Northwest
to migrate to a single shared,
integrated library system.
The new system touches all
aspects of library service. “Primo
Search” will provide a single,
unified replacement for Puget
Sound WorldCat, SUMMIT, Journal
Locator, and Collins Catalog. The
back office component, “Alma,”
will replace a 20-year-old system
used by library staff for cataloging,
acquisitions, electronic resource
management, and circulation.
announced once the schedule is
finalized. The cutover will affect
library services for 2 to 3 days.
A preview of Primo Search will be
available to campus users in May.
The exact dates in June for the
cutover to the new system will be
Library platforms not impacted
by this transition include ILLiad,
Library Guides, EZProxy, Sound
Ideas, and ARTstor. n
MUSING ABOUT BLOGS
by William Morse, Chief Information Officer and Associate Vice President for Technology Services
B
logs. We have all heard the word. If you
have surfed the web for even the briefest
periods of time, you may have landed on
one. Indeed, you may have gone through a
whole collection of blogs and not even realized
it. Yet, what exactly is this thing we call a blog?
According to Wikipedia, a “blog (a truncation
of the expression web log) is a discussion or
informational site published on the World Wide
Web and consisting of discrete entries (‘posts’)
typically displayed in reverse chronological
order (the most recent post appears first).”
Originally, this tool was used by many as their
own personal diary, a place to share their
innermost thoughts. Early social media sites like
LiveJournal paved the way by providing easy-touse tools that almost anyone could access.
Over time, people began to develop blogs
that covered a wide variety of hobbies, topics,
or special interests. You can find blogs on
everything from gardening to video games,
cooking to car maintenance. These days, there
is literally nothing that isn’t blogged about by
someone. In many cases, there may be dozens,
if not hundreds, of sites covering similar topics.
Yet the reach of the blog does not end there.
Over time, new “virtual” magazines have
developed around collections of blogs. Sites
like the Huffington Post or Ars Technica now
proliferate the web. These sites collect similar
blogs together and make it easy for someone to
find exactly what they are looking for without
resorting to Google.
However, blogs don’t have to be something
tailored for the entire World Wide Web to see.
There are many local blogs here at Puget Sound,
for example, that give our community just the
information they need. Collins Memorial Library
hosts a number of these as does Technology
Services itself. It is a great way to reach out to
those we serve.
Just recently, I started my own blog, Morse
Musing. This blog is meant to cover all manner
of topics surrounding the world of information
technology (IT). The latest topic I am looking
into is Big Data. It sounds scary, but the
application of this tool in higher education could
be revolutionary. Past topics include change
management and just what makes working in IT
so much fun… and challenging.
Chief Information Officer William Morse
If you have a moment, check it out at
blogs.pugetsound.edu/morse-musing/. And
think about starting your own blog. These days,
it is as easy as point, click, and go! n
STAY INFORMED WITH TECHNOLOGY
SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS
Do you want to stay informed of issues, outages, and scheduled
maintenance on the university’s technology systems? An easy way to do
so is to visit the Technology Services website at pugetsound.edu/ts and
select Service Announcements from the main menu. There you can
bookmark the page or subscribe to receive new and updated
announcements through email or a site or browser that reads RSS feeds.
For assistance, please contact the fine folks (shown left) at the Technology
Service Desk at 253.879.8585 or servicedesk@pugetsound.edu.
The Client Support Team: (left to right) Amanda Hoover, Dale Mickel,
Joel Arakaki, Taryn Cramer, David Bilbrey, and Jessica Hartenstine.
SPRING 2014 • PAGE 4
TECHNEWS@PUGETSOUND.EDU
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